Details

Written by: Press Trust of Kashmir

Created: 25 February 2019

SRINAGAR: Former Norwegian Prime Minister raised the issue of human rights violation in Jammu and Kashmir. Norwegian PM asked the global community to unite and resolve tensions between India and Pakistan over the attack in Pulwama, Kashmir. In an interaction with the media, also joined by Pakistan administrated Kashmir (PAK) President Sardar Masood Khan at Kashmir House, Former Norwegian Prime minister, Kjell Magne Bondevik said: “whenever India was asked by various nations to address the Kashmir issue New Delhi said it was a bilateral issue”.

The former Norwegian Prime Minister suggested: “If [for the sake of argument] it is a bilateral issue, still dialogue should be started between the two countries over the issue of Kashmir. There cannot be a military solution to the Kashmir dispute and, therefore, both parties should start a dialogue.” The former PM appealed to both India and Pakistan to calm down the situation saying, “the United Nations had passed a number of resolutions about Kashmir as human rights were being violated there”.

“I suggest both countries should avoid the use of force and find a peaceful solution to the issue. The international community should also play its role in addressing the matter,” Bondevik added. Responding to a question about the Kashmiri people’s right to retaliate, the Norwegian leader said: “violence was not a solution to the problem and whereever it was used it was condemnable”.

Addressing the event, the PaK president emphasised saying, “although the United Nations report on the violation of human rights in India-held Kashmir was appreciable, the UN needed to do much more to resolve this long dispute”. “Currently, the region is on the verge of a war. Bondevik is a neutral person and he wants to address the issue of Kashmir and we appreciate his efforts and intentions,”  Sardar Masood Khan said.

“The region cannot become peaceful unless the root cause is addressed and India should not deny the right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir,” Khan said. The PaK President said that India has intensified killings in India-held Kashmir and arrested approximately 200 people. “India’s efforts to plunge the two countries into war just for the sake of winning elections would be a great folly and New Delhi should restrain from carrying out any sort of aggression as it could engulf itself in flames” he added. “The tyranny India was committing against Kashmiris was a major issue than the Pulwama incident”, the Pak president remarked.